Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Lent 2011 Prepare To Celebrate

Today is the day before a truly wonderful season of Lent begins. How prepared are you to celebrate the next 40 days? Jesus really wants us to have an incredible celebration, as we go from day to day walking with Him. So what are you going to give up for Lent? Well you don't have to, but it's nice to be able to give up something as a sacrifice for our Lord. Our own self denial is one way for us to show our allegiance and love for our Lord, as we go through the next 40 days with Him. Now to do this correctly and with the right "self-denying" heart, you don't up things you hate, that's just too funny, and you don't give up things where you will gain. So you ask, well then what are some examples of what I can give up for the next 40 days? If you like say, french fries and really eat them a lot and you get this immense satisfaction from them, a kind of gluttonously approach on them, then you need to self-sacrifice that desire. That would be a very good thing for you to give up. And that example works with all our desires, cake, chocolate, soda, coffee, whatever. If you are almost in another world with delight and satisfaction over "something", then that should be the something you offer to our Lord for 40 days.

So today let us also look at the days and weeks ahead. What is the schedule throughout the Lenten Season this year? What do we celebrate along the way? There are five week in Lent leading into a Holy Week that ends with Easter. Here are some of the highlights, so you can better plan for a successful, healthy, spiritually alive Lenten Season this year:

As this Lenten Season begins, "Beads of Joy" will be sharing daily reflections and prayers and tid-bits of wisdom gathered from research throughout this season; fully focusing on the season, prayer, and all things Jesus, which will include Mary. I invite everyone to take a moment each day to check in and share the joy of this season with us. As always we do this because of our love and commitment to our Lord, there is no personal gain here. Jesus is the only reason for such a wonderful, spectacular, joyous season. Let us celebrate our love for Him, our love for each other, our love for our families, and our prayer communities over these 40 days and beyond.